Lab_10

__Ergonomics__ Ergonomics is designing a product that fits the human body. In other words, by the design will consider how the product will work best for the human body whether is it regarding the body movements, or cognitive abilities. For example, in a workplace, the chair and desk and how it is placed. Usually it is set in a position where the body is at a specific distance to the computer and mouse for best results. Body movements, or the body in general, ergonomic design considers ways in reducing muscle pain, or joint pains. So using the example of a workplace again, sometimes sitting in front of a computer for a long period of time will cause back and shoulder pains. But with ergonomic design it reduces these problems to minimum to reduce tensions. Cognitive abilities, ergonomic design would find ways in helping people work more efficiently using their cognitive abilities. Facing the computer all day would cause fatigue and bad for the human body because of the radiation. So in a workplace, they would make the office a better place, maybe a window near each desk so people can always look away when feeling fatigue.

__Gilberth System of Motion Analysis__ The Gilbreth system of motion analysis was developed when it was applied to bricklaying. Bricklaying was a tedious process of stopping and laying the bricks. There was a large amount of energy wasted by stooping for bricklaying which caused the layers fatigue. Gilbreth then designed a scaffolding that would reduce the bricklayers stooping. The scaffolding reduced the amount of motion needed for bricklaying from 18 to 5 and thus was able to increase the overall producitivity and efficiency of the task.

__Henry Ford and Frederick Taylor__ Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Company. His company assembled cars and he wanted to find a way to maximize efficiency. He did this by incorporating Frederick’s Taylor’s method of Taylorism where he found different ways in which tasks could be done much more efficiently. This resulted in boosting up the results in hundreds of percent. Boosting up efficiency included breaking the tasks in pieces so each person has a very specific task. Instead of one person making a wheel, there would be several people given a specific task into the construction of that wheel. This led to the development of the assembly line when Ford realized that time was being wasted as people needed to work around an object, the need for the object to be around them would save time. Ford eventually was able to create this company that lead in mass production. Several cars being produced, allowed more money both for the company and for the workers. This was all the result of making the company work more efficiently.

__Four principles of Mcdonaldization:__ 1) Efficiency: reaching a specific end rapidly with the least amount of cost or effort. 2) Calculability: emphasis placed on quantity rather than quality 3) Predictability: structuring the work environment so that surprise and differentness do not influence or affect our sensibilities. 4) Control: everything is pre-packaged, pre-measured and automatically controlled to a point where the human employee in not required to think but follow the instructions.